“Murder at the Petting Zoo” is a Murdoku case from the Zoo category: a board of 7×7, 6 suspects and one victim. Read the clues, work out where everybody was standing, and name the suspect who was left alone with the body.
The Board
The floor plan as the case hands it to you: 7×7, rated Easy, with 5 rooms. Every person — 7 in all — takes a row and a column of their own.
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
C7
R1
F
Ch
Tr
R2
Ch+Ca
T
T
T
R3
S
B
Gr
P
R4
S
Ca
R5
C
C
Tr
P
R6
G
G
R7
Pa
C
Ci
G
Floor plan of “Murder at the Petting Zoo”. Letters mark the objects; the key is below. A dashed edge marks a door.
Picnic Meadow (outdoors) — 12 tiles: Grill, Parasol, Trash can
Petting Zoo (outdoors) — 8 tiles: Goat, Chicken
Gift Shop — 7 tiles: Shelf, Box, Carpet, Cash register
Entrance Gate (outdoors) — 8 tiles: Cash register, Park bench
Objects on the board
C Cash register (blocks the tile)
G Goat (blocks the tile)
T Table (blocks the tile)
Ca Carpet (can be stood on)
Ch Chair (can be stood on)
P Parasol (can be stood on)
S Shelf (blocks the tile)
Tr Trash can (blocks the tile)
Pa Park bench (can be stood on)
B Box (blocks the tile)
Ci Chicken (blocks the tile)
F Fridge (blocks the tile)
Gr Grill (blocks the tile)
The Suspects and Their Clues
Each suspect comes with what the witnesses remember. Read them all before placing anyone — a clue about one person is very often what pins down another.
Alex — a man with grey hair and a beard
He was in the Gift Shop
Bella — a woman with blond hair and glasses
She was under a parasol
Carol — a woman with brown hair and glasses
She was beside a grill
Dylan — a man with brown hair
He was beside a chicken
Elsa — a woman with blond hair
She was on a park bench
Floyd — a man with grey hair
He was beside a fridge
The victim, Vesna, is a woman. Nothing else about them is known, and no clue depends on it.
How Hard It Really Is
Deduction steps from the first clue to the verdict
14
Steps before anyone can be placed for certain
6
How to Start — Without Spoilers
Before anything else, count where each suspect could be if you only read their own clues:
Alex: 3 possible tiles
Bella: 2 possible tiles
Carol: 2 possible tiles
Dylan: 2 possible tiles
Elsa: a single tile — their own clue settles it
Floyd: 2 possible tiles
That is as far as this page goes. From here on it is yours — the in-game hint giver explains each next step if you get stuck, without giving the answer away.
This case has exactly one solution, and it can be reached by forward deduction alone — no guessing.